Abstract:

A method for handling a signaling message that specifies transmission rate
restrictions may include operating in a first state. The method may also
include receiving the signaling message from a network. The signaling
message may include an activation time, the transmission rate
restrictions and the control duration. The method may also include
receiving a state transition trigger to operate in a second state. The
method may also include determining the user equipment's behavior
regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state
transition trigger.

Claims:

1. A method for handling a signaling message that relates to transmission
rate restrictions, the method being implemented by user equipment, the
method comprising:operating in a first state;receiving the signaling
message from a network, wherein the signaling message includes an
activation time and the transmission rate restrictions;receiving a state
transition trigger to operate in a second state; anddetermining the user
equipment's behavior regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon
receiving the state transition trigger.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling message is a transport
format combinational control (TFCC) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the user equipment's
behavior regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the
state transition trigger comprises determining whether the activation
time has been reached.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the activation time has not been reached
and wherein determining the user equipment's behavior regarding the
transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition
trigger further comprises determining whether the signaling message
includes a control duration.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signaling message includes the
control duration and further comprising immediately applying the
transmission rate restrictions.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the signaling message does not include
the control duration and further comprising behaving as if the control
duration has lapsed and removing the transmission rate restrictions.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising reverting back to a
transmission rate that the user equipment had prior to receiving the
signaling message.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the activation time has been reached and
wherein determining the user equipment's behavior regarding the
transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition
trigger further comprises determining whether a control duration included
in the signaling message has lapsed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the control duration has not lapsed and
further comprising behaving as if the control duration has lapsed and
removing the transmission rate restrictions.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising reverting back to a
transmission rate that the user equipment had prior to receiving the
signaling message.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the control duration has lapsed and
further comprising reverting back to a transmission rate that the user
equipment had prior to receiving the signaling message.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first state is a CELL_DCH state.

14. User equipment that is configured to handle a signaling message that
relates to transmission rate restrictions, comprising:a processor;
andcircuitry coupled to said processor configured to:operate in a first
state;receive the signaling message from a network, wherein the signaling
message includes an activation time and the transmission rate
restrictions;receive a state transition trigger to operate in a second
state; anddetermine the user equipment's behavior regarding the
transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition
trigger.

15. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the signaling message is a
transport format combinational control (TFCC) message.

16. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein determining the user
equipment's behavior regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon
receiving the state transition trigger comprises determining whether the
activation time has been reached.

17. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the activation time has not
been reached and wherein determining the user equipment's behavior
regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state
transition trigger further comprises determining whether the signaling
message includes a control duration.

18. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the signaling message includes
the control duration and wherein the circuitry coupled to the processor
is further configured to immediately apply the transmission rate
restrictions.

19. The user equipment of claim 17, wherein the signaling message does not
include the control duration and wherein the circuitry coupled to the
processor is further configured to behave as if the control duration has
lapsed and remove the transmission rate restrictions.

20. The user equipment of claim 19, wherein the circuitry coupled to the
processor is further configured to revert back to a transmission rate
that the user equipment had prior to receiving the signaling message.

21. The user equipment of claim 16, wherein the activation time has been
reached and wherein determining the user equipment's behavior regarding
the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition
trigger further comprises determining whether a control duration included
in the signaling message has lapsed.

22. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the control duration has not
lapsed and wherein the circuitry coupled to the processor is further
configured to behave as if the control duration has lapsed and remove the
transmission rate restrictions.

23. The user equipment of claim 22, wherein the circuitry coupled to the
processor is further configured to revert back to a transmission rate
that the user equipment had prior to receiving the signaling message.

24. The user equipment of claim 21, wherein the control duration has
lapsed and wherein the circuitry coupled to the processor is further
configured to revert back to a transmission rate that the user equipment
had prior to receiving the signaling message.

25. The user equipment of claim 14, wherein the first state is a CELL_DCH
state.

27. User equipment that is configured to handle a signaling message that
relates to transmission rate restrictions, comprising:means for operating
in a first state;means for receiving the signaling message from a
network, wherein the signaling message includes an activation time and
the transmission rate restrictions;means for receiving a state transition
trigger to operate in a second state; andmeans for determining the user
equipment's behavior regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon
receiving the state transition trigger.

28. The user equipment of claim 27, wherein the signaling message is a
transport format combinational control (TFCC) message.

29. The user equipment of claim 27, wherein the first state is a CELL_DCH
state.

31. A computer-program product for handling a signaling message that
relates to transmission rate restrictions, the computer-program product
comprising a computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, the
instructions comprising:code for operating in a first state;code for
receiving the signaling message from a network, wherein the signaling
message includes an activation time and the transmission rate
restrictions;code for receiving a state transition trigger to operate in
a second state; andcode for determining the user equipment's behavior
regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state
transition trigger.

32. The computer-program product of claim 31, wherein the signaling
message is a transport format combinational control (TFCC) message.

33. The computer-program product of claim 31, wherein the first state is a
CELL_DCH state.

[0002]The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems.
More specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods and
apparatus for handling a signaling message that relates to transmission
rate restrictions.

BACKGROUND

[0003]As used herein, the term "user equipment" refers to an electronic
device that may be used for voice and/or data communication over a
wireless communication network. Examples of user equipment include
cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices,
wireless modems, laptop computers, personal computers, etc. User
equipment (UE) may alternatively be referred to as a mobile station, a
mobile terminal, a subscriber station, a remote station, a user terminal,
a terminal, a subscriber unit, an access terminal, etc.

[0004]A wireless communication network may provide communication for a
number of UEs, each of which may be serviced by a base station. A base
station may alternatively be referred to as an access point, a Node B, or
some other terminology.

[0005]A UE may communicate with one or more base stations via
transmissions on the uplink and the downlink. The uplink (or reverse
link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station,
and the downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from
the base station to the UE.

[0010]FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system in which a network sends a
TFCC message to a UE that restricts the UE from transmitting at certain
rates;

[0011]FIG. 4 illustrates an example showing the handling of a TFCC message
by a UE;

[0012]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method for handling a transport format
combinational control message;

[0013]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of another method for handling a transport
format combinational control message;

[0014]FIG. 7 shows a state diagram of various states and modes in UMTS and
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM); and

[0015]FIG. 8 illustrates various components that may be utilized in one
configuration of a UE.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016]A method for handling a signaling message that relates to
transmission rate restrictions is disclosed. The method may operate in a
first state. The signaling message is received from a network. The
signaling message includes an activation time and the transmission rate
restrictions. A state transition trigger to operate in a second state is
received. The user equipment's behavior is determined regarding the
transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition
trigger. The signaling message may be a transport format combination
control (TFCC) message.

[0017]Determining the user equipment's behavior regarding the transmission
rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition trigger may include
determining whether the activation time has been reached. When the
activation time has not been reached, determining the user equipment's
behavior regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the
state transition trigger may also include determining whether the
signaling message includes a control duration.

[0018]The signaling message may include the control duration. The
transmission rate restrictions may be immediately applied.

[0019]The signaling message may not include the control duration. The
method may behave as if the control duration has lapsed and remove the
transmission rate restrictions. Furthermore, the method may revert back
to a transmission rate that the user equipment had prior to receiving the
signaling message.

[0020]The activation time may be reached. Determining the user equipment's
behavior regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the
state transition trigger may further include determining whether a
control duration included in the signaling message has lapsed. The
control duration may not lapse, and the method may behave as if the
control duration has lapsed and remove the transmission rate
restrictions. Furthermore, the method may revert back to a transmission
rate that the user equipment had prior to receiving the signaling
message. The control duration may lapse, and the method may revert back
to a transmission rate that the user equipment had prior to receiving the
signaling message.

[0021]The first state may be a CELL_DCH state. The transmission rate
restrictions may apply to an uplink data rate.

[0022]User equipment configured to handle a signaling message that relates
to transmission rate restrictions is disclosed. The user equipment
includes a processor and circuitry coupled to the processor. The user
equipment operates in a first state. The signaling message is received
from a network. The signaling message includes an activation time and the
transmission rate restrictions. A state transition trigger to operate in
a second state is received. The user equipment's behavior is determined
regarding the transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state
transition trigger.

[0023]User equipment configured to handle a signaling message that relates
to transmission rate restrictions is also disclosed. The user equipment
includes means for operating in a first state and means for receiving the
signaling message from a network. The signaling message includes an
activation time and the transmission rate restrictions. The user
equipment includes means for receiving a state transition trigger to
operate in a second state. The user equipment also includes means for
determining the user equipment's behavior regarding the transmission rate
restrictions upon receiving the state transition trigger.

[0024]A computer-program product for handling a signaling message that
relates to transmission rate restrictions is disclosed. The
computer-program product comprises a computer-readable medium having
instructions thereon. The instructions include code for operating in a
first state and code for receiving the signaling message from a network.
The signaling message includes an activation time and the transmission
rate restrictions. The instructions include code for receiving a state
transition trigger to operate in a second state. The instructions also
include code for determining the user equipment's behavior regarding the
transmission rate restrictions upon receiving the state transition
trigger.

[0025]Various examples are now described with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous
specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough
understanding of one or more aspects. It may be evident, however, that
such aspects(s) may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram
form in order to facilitate describing one or more examples.

[0026]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system 100 according to
the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network topology. A
UMTS system may include user equipment (UE) 102, an access network, and a
core network 106. The UE 102 may be coupled to the access network which
is coupled to the core network 106 which can be coupled to an external
network (not shown).

[0027]The UE 102 is generally a device that allows a user to access UMTS
network services. The UE 102 may be a mobile device such as a cellular
phone, a fixed station, or other data terminal. For example, the UE 102
may be a radio terminal used for radio communications over an air (Uu)
interface 140. The Uu interface 140 is the interface through which the UE
102 accesses the fixed part of the system.

[0028]The access network may include the radio equipment for accessing the
network. In a WCDMA system, the access network is the Universal
Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) 130 air interface. The UTRAN 130
may include one or more radio network subsystems (RNS) 134 that include
at least one base station or "Node B" 136 coupled to at least one radio
network controller (RNC) 134.

[0029]The RNC 134 may control the radio resources of the UTRAN 130. The
RNCs 134a 134b of the access network may communicate with the core
network 106 via an interface 144 that may be referred to as the lu
interface 144. An RNC 134 of the access network may communicate with a
Node B 136 via an interface 142 that may be referred to as the lub
interface 142. The Uu interface 140, lu interface 144, and lub interface
142 allow for internetworking between equipment from different vendors
and are specified in the 3GPP standards. Implementation of the RNC 134
varies from vendor to vendor, and therefore will be described in general
terms below.

[0030]The RNC 134 may serve as the switching and controlling element of
the UTRAN 130. The RNC 134 may be located between the lub interface 142
and the lu interface 144. The RNC 134 may act as a service access point
for all the services that the UTRAN 130 provides to the core network 106.
For example, the UTRAN 130 may manage the connection between the core
network 106 and a UE 102.

[0031]The RNCs 134a 134b may communicate with each other over an interface
146 that may be referred to as the lur interface 146, which allows soft
handover between cells connected to different nodes. RNCs 134 and Node Bs
136 can communicate over and be connected via the lub interface 142. An
RNC 134 may control use of the radio resources by each Node B 136 coupled
to a particular RNC 134. Each Node B 136 may control one or more cells
and may provide a radio link to the UE 102. The Node B 136 may perform
interface processing such as channel coding and interleaving, rate
adaptation and spreading.

[0032]The core network 106 may include all of the switching and routing
capability for connecting to either a public switched telephone network
(PSTN) (not shown) or a packet data network (PDN) (not shown). The core
network 106 may also include switching and routing capability for
mobility and subscriber location management and authentication services.

[0033]The present disclosure relates generally to signaling messages, such
as transport format combinational control (TFCC) messages. FIG. 2 is a
block diagram illustrating user equipment 202 for handling TFCC messages.
TFCC messages may be used to restrict the UE 202 from transmitting at
certain rates. For example, TFCC messages may be used by the network to
restrict the UE 202 from using certain Transport Format Combination
Identifiers (TFCI) from the complete Transport Format Combination Set
(TFCS), which may restrict the UE 202 from transmitting at certain rates.
TFCC messages are discussed in further detail below in relation to FIG.
3.

[0034]The UE 202 may include a state module 210. The state module 210 may
include the states of the UE 202 when the UE 202 is in UMTS Terrestrial
Radio Access radio resource control (UTRA RRC) connected mode.

[0035]The state module 210 may include a CELL_DCH state 212. The CELL_DCH
state 212 may also be referred to as a dedicated channel state. The state
module 210 may also include a CELL_FACH state 214. The CELL_FACH 214
state may also be referred to as a forward access channel state. The
state module 210 may also include a CELL_PCH 216 state. The state module
210 may also include a URA_PCH state 218. The CELL_PCH 216 state and the
URA_PCH state 218 may also be referred to as a paging channel state or a
common state. The UTRA RRC connected mode states are discussed in further
detail below in relation to FIG. 7.

[0036]The UE 202 may also include a behavior module 220. The behavior
module 220 may make determinations about how the UE 202 is to react upon
receiving a TFCC message. The behavior module 220 may control the uplink
data rate 222 of the UE 202. For example, the behavior module 220 may
restrict the UE 202 from transmitting at certain rates. The behavior
module 220 may also include a timer 224. The behavior module 220 may use
the timer 224 to determine when to apply the TFCC message restrictions on
the uplink data rate 222. For example, the behavior module 220 may use
the timer 224 to determine the control frame number (CFN) at which the
uplink data rate 222 is to be lowered. The behavior module 220 may also
use the timer 224 to determine the CFN at which the uplink data rate 222
is to be raised after the uplink data rate 222 has been temporarily
lowered. The behavior module 220 may also use the timer 224 to determine
when to apply and when to remove TFCC message restrictions.

[0037]FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system 300 in which a network 306
sends a TFCC message 350 to a UE 302. The TFCC message 350 may include
restrictions 352 to be applied to one or more UEs 302. For example, the
TFCC message 350 may include restrictions 352 on the transmission rate of
the UE 302. In one configuration, the restrictions 352 on the
transmission rate of the UE 302 may include uplink data restrictions on
the UE 302. The TFCC message 350 may also include an activation time 354.
The activation time 354 may indicate the control frame number (CFN) at
which the UE 302 applies the restrictions 352 in the TFCC message 350.
The activation time 354 may also be referred to as the activation time
for TFC subset. If the TFCC message 350 does not define the activation
time 354, the restrictions 352 in the TFCC message 350 may be applied as
soon as the UE 302 has received and processed the TFCC message 350.

[0038]The TFCC message 350 may also include a control duration 356. The
control duration 356 may indicate the duration of time that the
restrictions 352 in the TFCC message 350 are valid. Alternatively, the
control duration 356 may indicate the CFN at which the restrictions 352
in the TFCC message 350 are no longer valid. The control duration 356 may
also be referred to as the TFC control duration. If the TFCC message 350
does not define the control duration 356 or the TFCC message 350 does not
include a control duration 356, the restrictions 352 in the TFCC message
350 may apply to the UE 302 until the network 306 signals to the UE 302
to use a different TFCS or the UE 302 transitions to an IDLE state. The
network 306 may transmit the same TFCC message 350 to more than one UE
302. If the behavior of the UE 302 is not defined after the UE 302
receives a TFCC message 350, the UE 302 and the network 306 may become
out of sync regarding TFCI restrictions. This could possibly lead to an
RLC unrecoverable error and a call drop.

[0039]FIG. 4 illustrates an example showing the handling of a TFCC message
350 by a UE 302. The graph 600 illustrates the UE's data rate 604 over
time 606. At time T1 610, the UE 302 may receive 608 a signaling message
350 to restrict the data rate 604. The signaling message 350 may include
an activation time 354 and a control duration 620. In this example, the
activation time 354 is at time T2 614 and the control duration 620 is at
time T3 618 minus time T2 614. At time T2 614, which is the activation
time 354, the UE 302 applies 612 the restrictions 352 of the signaling
message 350 and the data rate 604 is decreased. At time T3 618, the
control duration 620 has expired and the UE 302 removes 616 the
restrictions 352 of the signaling message 350 and increases the data rate
604 to the level where it was prior to receiving the signaling message
restrictions 352.

[0040]FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method 400 for handling a transport
format combinational control message 350. A UE 302 may operate 402 in
CELL_DCH state 212. The UE 302 may receive 404 a signaling message 350
from the network 306. The signaling message 350 may indicate restrictions
to the UE 302. For example, the signaling message 350 may indicate a
restriction on the uplink data rate of the UE 302. In one configuration,
the signaling message 350 may be a TFCC message 350. The signaling
message 350 may include an activation time 354. The signaling message 350
may also include a control duration 356. After receiving the signaling
message 350, the UE 302 may receive 406 a state transition trigger to
move to a different state. In one configuration, the state transition
trigger may cause the UE 302 to move to a different RRC state. RRC states
are discussed in more detail below in relation to FIG. 7. Upon receiving
a state transition trigger, the UE 302 may prepare 408 for the state
transition. In one configuration, the UE 302 may sustain a Radio Access
Technology (RAT) change instead of a state transition trigger.

[0041]When the UE 302 is preparing 408 for the state transition, the UE
302 may determine 410 whether the activation time 354 has been reached.
The activation time 354 has been discussed above in relation to FIG. 3.
If the activation time 354 has not been reached, the signaling message
restrictions 352 have not been applied to the UE 302. The UE 302 may then
determine 412 if the signaling message 350 includes a control duration
356. If the signaling message 350 includes a control duration 356, the UE
302 may behave 416 as if the control duration 356 has expired and remove
the restrictions 352. The UE 302 may then revert 420 back to the
Transport Format Combination Set (TFCS) that the UE 302 was in prior to
receiving the signaling message 350. If the signaling message 350 does
not include a control duration 356, the UE 302 may immediately apply 414
the restrictions 352 included in the signaling message 350. The UE 302
may continue using the TFCIs allowed by the TFCC message 350 until the
network explicitly reconfigures the TFCS set or the UE 302 transitions to
the IDLE state.

[0042]If the activation time 354 has been reached, the signaling message
restrictions 352 have been applied to the UE 302. The UE 302 may then
determine 418 whether the control duration 356 included in the signaling
message 350 has lapsed. If the control duration 356 has lapsed, the
signaling message restrictions 352 have already been removed. The UE 302
may then revert 420 back to the TFCS that the UE 302 was in prior to
receiving 404 the signaling message 350. If the control duration 356 has
not lapsed, the UE 302 may behave 416 as if the control duration 356 has
lapsed and the UE 302 may remove the restrictions 352. The UE 302 may
also revert 420 back to the TFCS that the UE 302 was in prior to
receiving 404 the signaling message 350.

[0043]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of another method 500 for handling a
transport format combinational control message. The UE 302 may operate
502 in a state other than the CELL_DCH state 212. For example, the UE 302
may operate in the CELL_FACH state 214. The UE 302 may receive 504 a
signaling message 350 from the network 306. The signaling message 350 may
indicate restrictions 352 to the UE 302. For example, the signaling
message 350 may indicate a restriction 352 on the uplink data rate of the
UE 302. In one configuration, the signaling message 350 may be a TFCC
message 350. The signaling message 350 may include an activation time
354. The signaling message 350 may also include a control duration 356.
Upon receiving 504 the signaling message 350 in a state other than the
CELL_DCH state 212, the UE 302 may reject 506 the signaling message 350.
The UE 302 may then indicate 508 this failure to the network 306.

[0044]FIG. 7 shows a state diagram of various states and modes in UMTS and
Global System for Mobile communications (GSM). The states and modes shown
in FIG. 7 are only examples of some of the states and modes in which a UE
302 may operate.

[0045]Upon being powered on, the UE 302 may perform a cell selection to
find a suitable cell from which to receive service. This cell is referred
to as the serving cell. The UE 302 may then transition to a UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected
mode 702. The UE 302 may receive and/or transmit data with the UMTS
network while in the UTRA RRC connected mode 702, depending on its RRC
state and configuration.

[0046]While in the UTRA RRC connected mode 702, the UE 302 may be in one
of four possible RRC states: a CELL_DCH state 708, a CELL_FACH state 710,
a CELL_PCH state 706, or a URA_PCH state 704. In this context, DCH
denotes dedicated transport channel, FACH denotes forward access channel,
PCH denotes paging channel, and URA denotes UTRAN registration area.

[0047]In the CELL_DCH state 708, the UE 302 may communicate with the UMTS
network for a voice or data call via dedicated physical channels
allocated to the UE 302. In the CELL_FACH state 710, the UE 302 may
exchange signaling and low rate data with the UMTS network via common
channels that are shared with other UEs 302.

[0048]In the CELL_PCH state 706 and URA_PCH state 704, the UE 302 may
periodically monitor the PCH for paging messages and the UE 302 is not
permitted to transmit on the uplink.

[0049]In the CELL_PCH state 706, the UMTS network knows the location of
the UE 302 at the cell level. The UE 302 performs a cell update with the
UMTS network whenever the UE 302 moves to a new cell. In the URA_PCH
state 704, the UMTS network knows the location of the UE 302 at the URA
level, where a URA is a collection of cells. The UE 302 performs a URA
update with the UMTS network whenever the UE 302 moves to a new URA. The
UE 302 may update its location more frequently in the CELL_PCH state 706
than the URA_PCH state 704.

[0050]The UE 302 may transition from the CELL_DCH state 708 or CELL_FACH
state 710 to another state in the UTRA RRC connected mode 702 by
performing a reconfiguration procedure. The UE 302 may transition between
different configurations in the CELL_DCH state 708 by also performing a
reconfiguration procedure. The UMTS network may command the UE 302 to be
in one of the four RRC states in the UTRA RRC connected mode 702 based on
activity of the UE 302.

[0051]FIG. 8 illustrates various components that may be utilized in one
configuration of a User Equipment (UE) 800. The UE 800 may include a
processor or central processing unit (CPU)/controller 804. The
CPU/controller 804 may be embodied as a microprocessor, a
microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP) or other device known
in the art. Memory 810, which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and
random access memory (RAM), may provide instructions 830 and data 820 to
the CPU/Controller 804. The memory 810 may also include portions of
non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The CPU/controller 804
typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program
instructions 830 stored within the memory 810. The instructions 830 in
the memory 810 may be executable to implement the methods described
herein. Portions of the instructions 830a and the data 820a are
illustrated as being currently executed or read by the CPU/controller
804.

[0052]The data 820 in the memory 810 may include one or more Transport
Format Combinational (TFC) control messages 822. Each TFC control message
822 may have been received over the network. The data 820 in the memory
810 may store a TFC control message 822 until the TFC control message 822
has expired. Alternatively, the data 820 in the memory 810 may store a
TFC control message 822 until the UE 800 receives a new TFC control
message 822. The TFC control message 822 may include restrictions 824
pertaining to the UE 800. For example, the TFC control message 822 may
include restrictions 824 on the uplink data rate of the UE 800. The TFC
control message 822 may also include an activation time for TFC subset
826. The activation time for TFC subset 826 may indicate the control
frame number (CFN) at which the restrictions 824 in the TFC control
message 822 are applied to the UE 800. The TFC control message 822 may
also include a TFC control duration 828. The TFC control duration 828 may
indicate the duration of time that the TFC control message 822
restrictions 824 are applicable to the UE 800.

[0053]The instructions 830 in the memory 810 may include instructions 830
for receiving 832 state transition triggers. State transitions have been
discussed in more detail above in relation to FIG. 7. The instructions
830 in the memory 810 may also include instructions 834 for receiving a
TFC control message. The instructions 830 in the memory 810 may also
include instructions 836 for determining the activation time for TFC
subset occurrence. The instructions 830 in the memory 810 may also
include instructions 838 for applying the restrictions of the TFC control
message at the activation time for TFC subset to the UE 800. The
instructions 830 in the memory 810 may also include instructions 840 for
determining the TFC control duration expiration. The instructions 830 in
the memory 810 may also include instructions 842 for removing the
restrictions 824 of the TFC control message 822 after the expiration of
the TFC control duration 828. The instructions 830 in the memory 810 may
also include instructions 844 for removing the restrictions 824 of the
TFC control message after receiving a state transition trigger. The
instructions 830 in the memory 810 may also include instructions 846 for
applying the restrictions 824 before the activation time for TFC subset
826 has been reached. The instructions 830 in the memory 810 may also
include instructions 848 for reverting back to the TFCS prior to
receiving the TFC control message 848.

[0054]The UE 800 may include a central data bus 802 linking several
circuits together. The circuits may include the CPU/controller 804, a
receive circuit 806, a transmit circuit 808, and memory 810.

[0055]The receive circuit 806 and transmit circuit 808 may be connected to
an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit (not shown). The receive circuit 806 may
process and buffer received signals before sending the signals out to the
data bus 802. On the other hand, the transmit circuit 808 may process and
buffer the data from the data bus 802 before sending the data out of the
UE 800. The CPU/controller 804 may perform the function of data
management of the data bus 802 and further the function of general data
processing, including executing the instructional contents of the memory
810.

[0056]The memory 810 can be tied to another memory circuit (not shown)
which can either be of the volatile or nonvolatile type. As an
alternative, the memory 810 can be made of other circuit types, such as
an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EPROM
(Electrical Programmable Read Only Memory), an ASIC (Application Specific
Integrated Circuit), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and others well
known in the art.

[0057]It should be further be noted that the inventive processes as
described can also be coded as computer-readable instructions carried on
any computer-readable medium known in the art. In this specification and
the appended claims, the term "computer-readable medium" refers to any
medium that participates in providing instructions to any processor, such
as the CPU/controller 804 shown and described in the drawing figure of
FIG. 8, for execution. Such a medium can be of the storage type and may
take the form of a volatile or non-volatile storage medium as also
described previously, for example, in the description of the memory 810
in FIG. 8.

[0058]As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of
actions and, therefore, "determining" can include calculating, computing,
processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a
table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like.
Also, "determining" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information),
accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also,
"determining" can include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing
and the like.

[0059]The phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless
expressly specified otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on"
describes both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0060]As used herein, the terms "code" and "instructions" should be
interpreted broadly to include any type of computer-readable
statement(s). For example, the terms "code" and "instructions" may refer
to one or more programs, routines, sub-routines, functions, procedures,
etc.

[0061]The various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits
described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented or
performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor
(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field
programmable gate array signal (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,
discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or any
combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A
general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the
alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor,
controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also be
implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of
a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more
microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core or any other such
configuration.

[0062]The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the
present disclosure may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software
module executed by a processor or in a combination of the two. A software
module may reside in any form of storage medium that is known in the art.
Some examples of storage media that may be used include RAM memory, flash
memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk,
a removable disk, a CD-ROM and so forth. A software module may comprise a
single instruction, or many instructions, and may be distributed over
several different code segments, among different programs and across
multiple storage media. A storage medium may be coupled to a processor
such that the processor can read information from, and write information
to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be
integral to the processor.

[0063]The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions
for achieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may
be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the
claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is
specified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may be
modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0064]The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software,
firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the
functions may be stored as one or more instructions on a
computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium may be any available
medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not
limitation, a computer-readable medium may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,
CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other
magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry
or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data
structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used
herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital
versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray® disc where disks
usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically
with lasers.

[0065]Software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmission
medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,
server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,
twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies
such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber
optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as
infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of
transmission medium.

[0066]Further, it should be appreciated that means for performing the
methods and techniques described herein, such as those illustrated by
FIGS. 4 and 5, can be downloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a
subscriber station and/or base station as applicable. For example, such a
device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of means for
performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, various methods
described herein can be provided via a storage means (e.g., random access
memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a physical storage medium such as a
compact disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.), such that a subscriber station
and/or base station can obtain the various methods upon coupling or
providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, any other suitable
technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a
device can be utilized.

[0067]It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the
precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various
modifications, changes and variations may be made in the arrangement,
operation and details of the systems, methods, and apparatus described
herein without departing from the scope of the claims.